View From The Top: “Lisa Su Is Still Curious About How Things Work”

23 snips

Aug 27, 2025

Guest

Michael Liu

Guest

Lisa Su

Lisa Su, the dynamic Chair and CEO of AMD, shares her remarkable journey from a first-generation immigrant to a tech leader. She talks about the importance of curiosity and lifelong learning, emphasizing that mentorship shaped her path. The conversation dives into AMD's innovative culture and the challenges posed by global geopolitics in the semiconductor industry. Su also sheds light on the strategic shift towards AI, balancing technological advancement with compliance, and offers insights into the competition between hardware giants like AMD and NVIDIA.

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ADVICE

Choose Hard Problems To Unlock Creativity

Embrace hard problems because they galvanize teams to produce creative solutions and unlock resources you wouldn't otherwise get.
As a leader, focus teams on the most important, high-impact projects to achieve outsized results.

ADVICE

Bet On People With Stretch Assignments

Give high-potential people stretch roles with strong support instead of waiting for perfect readiness.
Rotate people through varied experiences every few years to broaden capabilities and prepare them for bigger roles.

ANECDOTE

A Mentor Opportunity With Lou Gerstner

Early in her career Lisa Su was tapped to be Lou Gerstner's technical assistant, teaching the CEO about technology and observing leadership firsthand.
That role gave her intimate exposure to CEO-level decision-making and influenced her future leadership path.

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This week on If/Then, we’re sharing an episode of View From The Top: The Podcast, an audio series featuring leaders from around the world in conversation with MBA students. Recorded live at the CEMEX Auditorium at Stanford Graduate School of Business, episodes feature insights on effective leadership, the values that guide it, and lessons learned along the way.

Lisa Su, the chair and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), leads one of the world’s most influential technology companies, a pioneer in high-performance computing and designer of chips that power everything from cellphones to supercomputers.

Su joins Michael Liu, MBA ’25, to talk about what it takes to stay on the cutting edge of technology, the tremendous potential of artificial intelligence, and why her superpower may be her commitment to learning.

“Careers are very much by chance,” Su says. “The nice thing about my early career is I was lucky enough to have bosses who asked me all the time, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And I was like, ‘I don't know. Let me think about [it]...what I like to believe is the ability to learn at each step was what really helped me in my career.”

This conversation was recorded on February 24, 2025.

More Resources:

• Lisa Su

• GSB Insights

• View From The Top

If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society.

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Kevin Cool introduces a summer spotlight on other podcasts, featuring View from the Top.

(00:00:59) Meet Lisa Su

Michael Liu introduces Lisa Su, AMD CEO, and highlights her career transformation.

(00:04:13) Growing Up & MIT Years

Lisa reflects on her immigrant upbringing and her journey through three degrees at MIT.

(00:05:43) Discovering Semiconductors

A part-time lab job at MIT ignites Lisa’s passion for chip technology.

(00:07:21) From Engineer to Leader

Lisa describes her transition from technical work to managing people and projects.

(00:11:19) Tackling Hard Problems

How curiosity and teamwork help Lisa embrace high-stakes technical challenges.

(00:13:40) Betting on Talent

Lisa recounts moments when she was given a chance—and how she now pays that forward.

(00:17:03) Becoming CEO at AMD

What brought Lisa to AMD and the unexpected call to lead the company.

(00:21:51) Strategy in a Turnaround

How AMD focused on high-performance computing and long-term bets.

(00:25:41) Cultural Shift at AMD

Lisa outlines how AMD’s culture became collaborative, ambitious, and learning-driven.

(00:27:19) AI & Global Tech Politics

The complex intersection of AI innovation and geopolitical regulation.

(00:32:37) Open vs. Closed AI Platforms

AMD’s open-source AI approach with NVIDIA’s more vertical model.

(00:38:54) Future Vision & Final Reflections

Lisa offers advice to MBAs and shares what she wants her legacy at AMD to be.

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